Valve Hiring People to Work On 'Top Secret' New Games

By Dalton Cooper 17 May 2018

A couple of months ago, Gabe Newell said that Valve would start making games again, and true to that promise, the publisher is now hiring people to work on “top secret” new games. What those top secret games could be remains to be seen, but it does seem that at least some will be narrative-driven experiences in the vein of Half-Life or Portal.

This is because Valve is hiring a level designer who is able to build a 3D game world and create “cinematic sequences of gameplay.” Of course, this may lead some fans to speculate that Valve is hiring people to work on Half-Life 3 or perhaps Portal 3, though it’s also possible that Valve is making an entirely brand new IP instead.

Sequels to Valve’s established franchises seem like the safest route the publisher could take if it is truly serious about getting back into the game development business. After all, fans have been hoping to see sequels to Half-Life, Portal, and Left 4 Dead for years, and there is some evidence that some of these games could already be in development. It would be nice to see these franchises have new entries that take full advantage of modern technology, so hopefully Valve doesn’t forget about its popular IP.

Besides a level designer, Valve is also hiring writers to work on its “top secret” new games, which is further evidence that some of the projects will be narrative-driven experiences. With former Valve writers like Marc Laidlaw retired, it makes sense for the company to seek out new writing talent to work on its future games.

Regardless of what Valve has in development, it’s exciting that the company is finally returning to game development. It will be interesting to see what it manages to produce in the coming years besides the previously announced Artefact game, and if any of its upcoming titles are sequels to its established franchises or not.